Pre desetak godina dobio sam na poklon disk Dar Williams. Više se ne sećam ko je od mojih inostranih prijatelja imao prste u tome, ali se dobro sećam sopstvene reakcije – My Better Self (2005) je bio album bez mane iako se na njegovom omotu Dar plazila svima nama jezikom ofarbanim u plavo.
Dovoljno da je svrstam u autorke koje ću uvek rado da poslušam.
Muzika koju Dar izvodi mogla bi da se okarateriše kao folk pop – ovo pop u smislu da je jako prijemčiva za slušanje, mada je ono o čemu peva daleko od toga da bude jednostavno za tumačenje. Pre svega, njeni tekstovi su ozbiljni i sa jasnim stavom, tako da odmah možemo da je svrstamo među najozbiljnije songwritere današnjice.
“Empire“, na prvo slušanje, budi asocijacije na dobo poznate imperije iz istorije… Sve dok ne shvatite da je u pitanju oštra kritika Bušove politike u vreme nastajanja albuma (invazija Amerike na Irak), pa se Dar s pravom pita da li je administracija svesna u šta se upušta. Jer, ako je istorija učiteljica života, sve poznate imperije (Rimsko carstvo, Britanska, čak i nacistička) su u startu osuđene na propast.
Who’s afraid of the sun?
Who’d question the goodness of the mighty?
We who banish the threat,
When your little ones all go nighty-nighty.Well, there’s no time for doubt right now
And less time to explain.
So get back on your horses,
Kiss my ring, join our next campaign.And the empire grows with the news that we’re winning.
With more fear to conquer
And more gold thread for spinning.
Bright as the sun, shining on everyone.Some would say that we forced our words
And we find that ingenuously churlish.
Words are just words.
Don’t be so pessimistic, weak and girlish.We like strong, happy people
Who don’t think there’s something wrong with pride,
Work makes them free
And we spread that freedom far and wide.And the empire grows,
The seeds of its glory,
For every five tanks,
Plant a sentimental story,
Till they worship the sun,
Even Christ-loving ones.And we’ll kill the terror who rises
And a million of their races.
But when our people torture you
That’s a few random cases.Don’t question the sun
It doesn’t help anyone.But the journalist cried out
When it was too late to stop us.
Everyone had awakened
To the dream they could enter our colossus.And now I’m right,
Here you said I’m right,
There’s nothing that can harm me.
Cause the sun never sets
On my dungeons or my army.And the empire fell
On it’s own splintered axis.
And the emperor wanes
As the silver moon waxes.And the farmers will find our coins
In their strawberry fields
While somebody somewhere
Twists his ring as someone kneels.Oh where is the sun, shining for everyone.
Iako je Dar izuzetno zgodna žena velikog talenta, na netu nećete naći puno informacija o njoj, čak ni fotografija. Uprkos tucetu odličnih album, ona kao da ne postoji.
Možda joj današnja imperijalna politika, zavijena u oblandu beskrajne priče o ljudskim pravima i demokratiji, nikada nije oprostila britke reči i isplažen jezik.